I just heard a little about that earlier today. About 8 years ago, four of us were exiting by Lodgepole and two young people without shoes were headed up for at least one night out, one big as_ pack overloaded between them. We told them they may not get far without shoes because of the rocky trail a little further up.

I live in socal and I am not disconnected from nature...these hikers were not hikers. they were a couple that set out for a walk and got lost. they were on the news out here, a san diego chargers player was on the search and rescue team.

I think if you spend time in places like rural MT and WY you will find that people know what they are doing. Winters with blizzards and below zero temperatures tend to wake people up. They live there for the access to the outdoors. Going to the grocery store can be an adventure.

I'm sure the winter weather out your way makes every winter day an adventure...glad I don't live there. the hikers were in L.A. county, the yuppie capitol. it doesn't surprise me they got lost. they probably didn't even have a map with them.

Typical story we hear all the time here in Colorado as well. Search & Rescue have frequent missions especially in the summer but here in Summit County Skiers also make a lot of back country mistakes.

As we all know it is not exclusive to any one are or reigion either. My wife and I were Packing the Kalalau Trial on Kauai when on my hike out I came across a couple at 2 pm hoping to make it to the Beach 14 miles away and back by nightfall ("Or sleep under a tree"). They each had a water bottle and were walking barefoot in the mud. I spoke with them for a few moments and tried to explain that their plan was not going to work. Sure, they would be fine with weather...it is Hawaii after all and you can eat passion fruit off the trees and occasionally some other fruit along the way but not in all places. Their biggest problem was that they didn't have a water filter nor any Iodine tabs and with Liptosporidium in nearly every fresh water area due to the feral pigs they were doomed. I gave them a few iodine tabs but would not give them my filter. I suggested they filter water through one of their t-shirts folded over several times after the iodine. They acted like they were not going to need anything and didn't understand water born viruses.

I wished them well, told them to stay on the trail since they were unprepared and to turn around when they realize their defeat. I didn't hear any missing persons reports or rescue missions that time on the Kalalau but there was one other time.....long story.

Hikers in SoCal will always need resue because they are used to good weather and the culture is very disconnected from Nature and the outdoors.

Those folks made big mistakes, no doubt, but that is a flippant generalization to make. Complacency is not limited by geography. I have been laughed at by more than one Rocky Mountain local for driving around with a sleeping bag in my truck during snow season. Just as city slickers in paradise can be nonchalant about weather and the hazards of being outdoors, so can the most experienced outdoorsman. How many times do you read about experienced climbers perishing on Mt Hood due to bad weather? The fact SAR happens more frequently here (So Cal) is a matter of the sheer volume of people visiting the local parklands. A one in ten-thousand chance of a mishap will occur more often in a park with several million visitors than a remote area visited by only a few thousand souls.